China just built a 250-acre solar farm shaped like a giant panda

The Panda Power Plant in
Datong, China.China Merchants New
Energy/Panda Green Energy

Most solar farms align their solar arrays in rows and
columns to form a grid.

A new solar power plant in Datong, China, however, decided to
have a little fun with its design. China Merchants New Energy
Group, one of the country's largest clean energy
operators, built a 248-acre solar farm in the shape
of a giant panda.

The first phase, which includes one 50-megawatt plant, was
completed on June 30, according
to PV magazine. The project just began delivering power
to a grid in northwestern China, and a second panda is
planned for later this year.

Called the Panda Power Plant, it will be able to produce 3.2
billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy in 25 years,
according to the company. That will eliminate approximately
million tons of coal that would have been used to produce
electricity, reducing carbon emissions by 2.74 million tons.

The Panda Power Plant in
Datong, China will stretch 1,500 acres when
complete.China Merchants New
Energy/Panda Green Energy

China Merchants New Energy Group worked with
the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to make the
Panda Power Plant a reality. The project is part of a larger
effort to raise awareness among young people in China about clean
energy, the UNDP
wrote in a statement.

The groups hope to build more panda-shaped solar plants
throughout China in the next five years.